Become a volunteer this National Preparedness Month

WOOD RIVER — It’s National Preparedness Month (NPM) which gives a great opportunity to remind everyone to build a kit, make a plan, be informed, and get involved.

Madison County Health Department has committed to participate in National Preparedness Month to increase preparedness throughout the United States. The event, now in its 12th year, is a nationwide, month-long effort hosted by the Ready Campaign and Citizen Corps encouraging households, businesses and communities to prepare and plan for emergencies.

One of National Preparedness Month’s key messages is to be prepared in the event of an emergency with special consideration to be self-reliant for three days without utilities, electricity, water service, access to a supermarket or local services, or maybe even without response from police, fire or rescue. Preparing can start with four important steps:

1. Build an emergency supply kit

2. Make a plan for what to do in an emergency and how you will get in contact with loved ones of where to meet.

3. Be informed about emergencies that could happen in your community and identify sources of information in your community that will be helpful before, during, and after an emergency

4. Get involved

Ready.gov offers many lists and templates to help you know what to include in your kit and plan. They also have information about how to help specific populations prepare such as children, the elderly, and the disabled.

National Preparedness Month 2016 began on Sept. 1 and has four weekly themes including:

Sept. 4-10: Preparing Family & Friends

Sept. 11-17: Preparing Through Service (see a local opportunity below)

Sept. 18-24: Individual Preparedness

Sept. 25-30: Lead Up to National Day of Action

Follow along on social media and see how others across America are preparing. Use the hashtags #NatlPrep, #YouthPrep, or #PrepareAthon if you are conducting a preparedness exercise, tabletop exercise, or sharing a preparedness-in-action moment.

Madison County Health Department is offering residents an opportunity to get involved and prepare through service by becoming a volunteer with the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). On Monday, Sept. 26, Madison County Health Department is hosting a Volunteer Orientation Training. There is an opportunity for everyone to help. No medical experience necessary.

When emergencies happen, we must join together with our families and neighbors to meet whatever challenges our community will face. Preparing for the public health consequences of disasters in advance leads to enhanced resiliency in the days, weeks and months afterwards. Madison County Health Department takes its responsibility to protect its citizens very seriously, especially during a disaster affecting the public’s health. But we recognize that we cannot do it alone. That is why the Madison County Health Department continues to build its Medical Reserve Corps. Currently, our MRC is 315-volunteers strong but we will need many more volunteers for a county of our size.

Madison County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) will be holding a Volunteer Orientation Training from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 26, at the Madison County Health Department, 101 E. Edwardsville Road, Wood River. Volunteers will learn about the Madison County MRC in the following sessins: Public Health 101, Incident Command System, Strategic National Stockpile and Family Preparedness. To attend the Volunteer Orientation Training, contact Cathy Paone, Madison County Medical Reserve Corps Volunteer Coordinator at 618-296-6096 or cmpaone@co.madison.il.us. Registration deadline is Monday, Sept. 19. Advanced registration is required to attend the training. Seating is limited. Call or email Paone to register.

Madison County Medical Reserve Corps is now part of the Gateway Volunteer Network (GVN) in the bi-state area (Missouri and Illinois). It is a collaborative effort to bring people volunteering for public health emergencies together into one group to increase communication and build a stronger network of volunteers to increase our ability to respond in emergencies. Visit www.facebook.com/gatewayvolunteernetwork for more information and click on the “Learn More Save Lives” tab to sign up for information about volunteer opportunities in your community.

To learn more about the Madison County Medical Reserve Corps, visit www.madisonchd.org and click on the MRC tab.